• 2 oz (60 ml) blended scotch
• 3/4 oz (20 ml) lemon juice
• 3/4 oz (20 ml) honey ginger syrup ¹honey ginger syrup: combine 1 cup of honey, 3/4 cup of water, and 6 inches of ginger sliced in a small pot over med-high heat. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 5 min. Syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Makes enough for a dozen cocktails.
• 1/2 oz (15 ml) Islay single malt

Combine blended scotch, lemon juice, honey ginger syrup with ice in a shaker. Shake well. Strain and pour over ice. Pour (or float) Islay malt on top.

Scotch is by far my favorite straight alcohol, especially a very smoky, peaty scotch. I honestly love drinking a campfire. Making a cocktail that can stand up to the heavy flavors of scotch is no easy feat, and that’s why I love the penicillin.

A few years ago (2016? 2017?) I went to Reno with a friend of mine. By this point, Mr. Cocktail Dork had gotten me to appreciate cocktails, but I was by no means the connoisseur I am now. Once in Reno, I decided to see if there were any good bars around since my friend and I needed an adventure. We found Death and Taxes, and that is where I had my first ever penicillin. I was instantly in love. This drink was everything I could have wanted: smoky, citrusy, and sweet.

I immediately started texting Mr. Cocktail Dork about this amazing drink I was having, and he was surprised I’d not had a penicillin before. Honestly, with as new to the cocktail world as I was, I had just assumed it was a drink the bartenders at Death and Taxes had made up themselves (most bars have a least a few original drinks on the menu). I was wrong; a penicillin was a known cocktail that I just hadn’t seen before. The penicillin is, however, a relatively new cocktail, created by the famous bartender Sam Ross in 2005. It’s since become a staple cocktail in many bars around the world, with delicious variations created along the way. Death and Taxes still has it listed on their menu.

One of our favorite bars in Hong Kong is great at putting their own spin on cocktails. We’ll often ask for “your version” of whatever. One night, Mr. Cocktail Dork, myself, and a friend all ordered a penicillin at the same time. Each of the three bartenders made a different version, and we were very happy with each. It was fun to see and try the different variations, while still enjoying the basic flavors of a drink we all love.

The penicillin isn’t a complicated drink, and I’m very happy to be able to make them at home. And as with any at home bar-tending, I’ve definitely experimented. I’ve made extra sweet honey-ginger syrup by adding a lot more honey to the mix. I enjoy a sweeter drink sometimes, so I think it worked out for my taste. I did try experimenting with honeys from different regions or specific flowers seeing if the subtle notes of the honey made a difference. They didn’t. The different flavors in the honey are just overpowered by scotch and ginger. Buying the expensive honey wasn’t worth it for this drink. I’ve tried using regular simple syrup simmered with ginger when I didn’t have honey on hand, and that wasn’t very good. Honey definitely adds a sweetness that is unique among sugars.

Right now, we are lucky enough to be in Hawaii, and Hawaii grows plenty of ginger. At a farmer’s market I found a local ginger syrup for sale. It’s ginger and sugar, and it honestly tastes great just mixed with soda water on it’s own. But it’s ginger, so I decided to try it in a penicillin. The syrup has sugar in it already, so I only added a splash of honey (that I’d mixed with hot water so it would actually blend into the cocktail). It was delicious, and I liked the simplicity of not having to make a batch of honey ginger syrup. If you can find a good, fresh ginger syrup, I say use it. 
I also experimented using all Islay scotch (Ardbeg 10), instead of just floating it at the end. I did this mainly because we didn’t have any mixing scotch on hand. I would honestly just drink the Ardbeg neat anyway, so why not try jazzing it up as a penicillin? I wouldn’t recommend doing it. Ardbeg 10 is amazing, but it’s peatiness just overpowers the other flavors and it just ended up being sweetened Ardbeg. I drank it anyway, as it wasn’t bad, but it missed the mark for being a good cocktail.

All told, the penicillin is a great drink that takes scotch to a different place. It’s easy to make, yet there’s enough there to make experimenting fun. Penicillin is the perfect cure for whatever ails you.